Twice a year, nursing faculty and student peers nominate outstanding nursing students for the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Students. Nursing professor Amanda Tracy says the award, an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System, was started by the Barnes family after they witnessed the kind and compassionate nursing care for their son, Patrick, during the last weeks of his life.
The award is intended to recognize students all over the U.S. who stand out in the classroom, show exceptional care and compassion with the patients and families they work with, and remind students why they made the decision to go into nursing. The Fall 2023 recipients are Jake Michel ‘23 and Sumitra Rai ‘24.
Michel was nominated from feedback given by a Labor and Delivery patient, who noted his professionalism and said she and her husband “both felt completely at ease with him there.” Additionally, Michel received peer recognition and is seen as a positive role model in Concordia’s accelerated nursing program. His peers say that he “finds ways to help others achieve by making and sharing thousands of flashcards, answering late-night texts, or answering questions that his peers might have.”
Dr. Morgan Rinke nominated Rai for outstanding work in the field, pointing to a day during clinicals when Rai noticed early signs of agitation in her patient who was coming off sedation.
“Sumitra remained composed and calm and alerted nearby nurses of the patient's status change,” Rinke said in the nomination. “Sumitra assisted the nurses throughout the process, including grabbing needed supplies and helping with pressure application when the patient removed her art line. The nursing team recognized and appreciated Sumitra's assistance and ability to remain calm in a rapidly changing environment. Her ability to recognize behavioral changes and alert the necessary staff allowed the patient and staff to receive prompt support.”
The award came as a surprise to Rai.
“I could not have guessed for myself to get this award since my entire classmates are a group of amazing and hardworking students,” she said. “So, to be able to receive a DAISY, I feel so honored and proud.”
Rai’s decision to go into nursing came in high school while taking care of a sick family member following an incident. Inspired by one of the nurses providing care for her family, she then knew she wanted to help others in the same situation. After working clinicals in the medical surgical unit, she hopes to join this specific area after graduation.
“So far, my time in the nursing program has been extremely memorable despite the stressful times,” Rai said. “I’m very thankful to all of my wonderful professors who have always inspired me to do better, my amazing classmates, and the incredible patients that I was able to care for during my time in clinicals and internship.”
The other nominees for the Fall 2023 DAISY Awards were Gendra-Marleen Aasmaa ‘25, Amelia Buckmeier ‘25, Izzy Anderson ‘25, Maddy Ims ‘24, Edna Broni ‘25, Josie Johnson ‘25, Truc Nguyen ‘24, Allie Hogstad (accelerated nursing ‘23), and Haylee Gunter (accelerated nursing ‘23).
Concordia’s top-ranked nursing program offers two pathways for students to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, a traditional four-year program and a 12-month accelerated program for those who already have a baccalaureate degree with a non-nursing major.